throwing students without making contact.
And karate practitioners are familiar with
toate-jitsu from a famous story about Bushi
Matsumura: Matsumura was challenged to
a duel. When the challenger arrived at the
appointed place, Matsumura was waiting
for him. Gichin Funakoshi, in Karate-do:
My Way of Life, wrote that as the challenger
squared off with Matsumura, he was “immo-
bilized by the intangible force that flashed
from Matsumura’s eyes.”
Although a minor practice within the spec-
trum of kyusho-jitsu training, these methods
have been explored and shared by Dillman in
an effort to push the boundaries of martial arts
study. In this way, he helped remind the com-
munity of the nearly limitless possibilities that
can be achieved through dedicated training.
Sadly, this particular aspect of his study
has resulted in numerous personal attacks.
And this has come despite the fact that
he’s demonstrated the method on multiple
people in multiple countries. And despite
the fact that his students have also dem-
onstrated this method multiple times. And
despite the fact that there are many people
from very diverse traditions who have dem-
onstrated the same thing (shotokan’s Mitsu-
suke Harada and systema’s Mikhail Ryabko,
to name two prominent examples). Yet, it’s
Dillman who has been the focus of contro-
versy and contempt. But naysayers notwith-
standing, this boundary-challenging work by
Dillman affirms again the depth and breadth
of traditional knowledge.7
KEEPING AN ART ALIVE
Dillman has spent the past 30 years of
his 50-plus-year career doing what he can
to ensure that kyusho-jitsu is never again
in danger of becoming extinct. In pursuit
of this goal, he’s produced videos, written
books and traveled the world to teach. But
the most important thing he’s done is teach
a new generation of master instructors and
set them to teaching.
At age 75, Dillman no longer jets around
the globe to pass on pressure-point fighting.
Instead, his most senior followers do that.
Dillman students like Dustin Seale, Will Hig-
ginbotham, Matt Brown, Steve Stewart, Bill
Homann and Paul Bowman (as well as small-
circle jujitsu inheritor Leon Jay, and modern
arnis masters Ken Smith, Chuck Gauss and
Gaby Roloff) are recognized internationally.
And behind them comes yet another genera-
tion of teachers and practitioners who will
carry on Dillman’s pioneering work and do
their best to create a bright and vibrant future
for the traditional martial arts.Chris Thomas is considered one of the best
teachers of kyusho-jitsu in the world. His work
has appeared in Black Belt since 1981, and he’s
co-author (with George Dillman) of a series
of books on pressure-point fighting. Thomas
is also the producer of the series Reflections
From the MasterClass, available on YouTube,
as well as MasterClass With Chris Thomas, a
subscription series of instructional videos. For
more information, visit kjk-karate.com.For years,
Wally Jay (top
right), George
Dillman (left of
Jay) and Remy
Presas (left of
Dillman) were
renowned
for their “Big
Three” training
camps, which
took place
across the
United States
and abroad.
Participants
learned small-
circle jujitsu,
modern arnis
and kyusho-
jitsu, as well
as the ways
in which the
three arts
augment one
another.Ph
oto
Co
ur
tes
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an
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 BLACKBELTMAG.COM 49